Landsnark

Ok, that woman's hat is FUCKING CRAZY. Is it a religious thing? A medical thing? If not, she's a clown. I cannot take her seriously. She's not serious. She's inside. Her hair is clean and brushed. It's not raining. It's not a steel drum festival. There is no sun. There is no street festival surrounding her. She's an American politician claiming the Commander in Chief is a callous pig, and still, made the decision to put that wicker basket on her head at around 6:30am. WHYYY??? And her rambling is helping nothing. Yeesh.

There was a clip of Trump saying that, essentially. At the press conference with McConnell. Sure Joe is a hypocrite and opportunistically punching down at McConnell, but he's also right. What is wrong with McConnell? Why don't GOP Congresspeople grow a back bone? They are as powerful as the President. Trump isn't their king. Are they that afraid of Fox, Bannon, Breitbart, and social media?

That's not how search engines work. There are articles on the incident, so if you search on words that involve that incident, the articles appear in the search results.

The reason for that is because the GOP did what Trump has just done from day 1. They knee-capped the program immediately, never fully supporting it, causing it to fail regionally. That Joe and his panel of knuckleheads never mention this, is so strange. The failing of the ACA is that it's governed and implemented regionally, not federally. So the switches and levers in every region are slightly different and biased by politics. That's the failing. If it had national rates and a national marketplace, it's great. What sucks is that Trump won't be hurt by destroying health care for Americans. I hate how Joe always mentions that he thinks the Iran deal is a bad deal. He's never elucidated that point. He says everyone agrees with him, and I've yet to hear anyone agree with him. The deal has dozens of moving parts, and the parts Joe doesn't like are unclear, and are never parroted by politicos he brings on to slag on the deal. Funnily enough (according to Joe this morning), Israel thinks it's a grand deal because it provides them breathing room and nuclear detente. Joe's got 3 hours 5x a week. Why doesn't he go into the guts of the deal and describe clearly what he finds unsatisfactory? I believe that his dislike of it is the same as Trump's. It was Obama's deal. The only issue with the deal is that it's not a forever situation, the deal sunsets at some point. Which, one would assume, would motivate diplomats and industries to use that time to build a bridge with Iran to normalize relations and shift them away from being a rogue nation. I suppose that's kind of an adult perspective, and we're talking about Trump.

I like Joe's fleece. Good color, fits him well, has the logo, the only thing I don't like is that it's not a half-zip, they seem more... I dunno, debonair? sophisticated? That with an oxford underneath and maybe a tie, and he's got warm and preppy nailed. Mika make Heilemann laugh. Dry one-liner about Hannity's hard hitting interview with the dipshit in chief. And what's weird, is Joe repeated her line, after hearing John laugh at it. Weird, right? I like how they tried to position themselves to swipe at Hillary, but couldn't quite find the angle. She knows donators! She knows people in power! She said they're friends! She is appalled! She is giving the money to charity! We want to be soo mad! I wish they'd have a segment that's a more holistic view of the failing reality show that is Trump's term. So much happens so fast, I wish we could see it all in context at times. So we can see the compendium of fuck ups and gaffes and lies and insanity and policies that DO pass and undermine the fabric of our nation. There's a lot going on, and in that spare hour they should have on Kornacki to remind us what has gone on previously and how that gives context to today's conversations. The avalanche of moronic tweets causes us to lose focus on any potential overarching themes.

Olbermann is hyperbolic to the point of caricature. His earnest bloviating is... a lot. Although I find him endlessly entertaining. Don't worry about him, he's a millionaire many times over just from his ESPN days. Ugh. Buying ads is meaningless. You need a moronic voter base to click the ad, go to the utterly fake news site, and believe the fake news. Placing ads is meaningless. Appealing to stupids is the key. The US needs less stupid people. I can't even. Because some greaseball studio head = POTUS. This personal fixation with Weinstein is bizarre. I would be shocked if heads of studios WEREN'T manipulating their positions to have sex with or offer sex with unwilling women or men. It's at once unfortunate for those involved and it's the tiredest stereotype in the Hollywood catalog. Additionally, Weinstein's donations and activism helped his own demise. He donated millions to the groups working to bring an end to this behavior and spread equality. He's caught. It's over. Why does the left wing have to wring their hands and self flaggelate when "one of their own" is a dirtbag? Sex, fetishes, perverse behavior is commonly ubiquitous across the political spectrum. Save for Mike Pence and Mother. Barf. OMG... "Let's take an IQ test and see who's smarter." Morning Joe Brand T Shirts

So, Harvey Weinstein used a casting couch in Hollywood, and it's Hillary Clinton's fault, and Mika is the hero? I could not follow their manic nonsense this morning about her books and publishers and giving up so much money but it was an easy decision. What the fuckity fuck were they going on about? Rattner and Katty looked like prisoners this morning. Does Joe do blow? Because he seemed out of his damn mind this morning. How is it Ben Affleck's or Hillary Clinton's fault that some dude used his immense wealth and incalculable power to pressure women and harass them? So Ben Affleck or Ashley Judd should have said one morning, "Welp, today I'm going to probably throw away my 25 year career, and get sued for every penny my grandchildren's grandchildren will have ever earned, to accuse some dude of something I heard a rumor over." Cute how it's Hillary's fault, again, while the President is a disgusting pig who's on his 3rd wife, cheated on them all, and has paid off double digit harassment suits.

Why did they have that know-nothing ex-politician on from Puerto Rico? He's not involved in the clean up and is less informed on what's happening there than the panel. Also, he's in a political party in opposition to the current mayor of San Juan, and they both may be competing for elected seats in the future. That was embarrassing.

Sweet jesus, I've never seen anything like that before in my life. Do you really wonder? They are going to hit him with napalm. Trump's a pig. In a blink, he was condescending to the governor, then said they are costing the US too much, then said Katrina was a real tragedy. All the while Melania's prisoner eyes were both pleading for help and looking for escape routes. "Aayy, you want some paper towels ovah der? All right here you go! This is fun, are we having fun, all right! You're welcome." Let's get oudda heah."

I could only catch a little bit of it this morning. It was shoddy. Mika is the worst. Mika, you simpering twit, it's fine that you table the topic of silencers. You should, even. But have a cogent argument lined up behind it, and be prepared to defend the holes in your thinking. What you don't do, stupid, is just say, "bbbbut silencers! Can you even??! What are they thinking??!!" Everyone dismissed her. And I have zero problem with Brokaw and Noonan being on with the other panelists. Their age isn't an issue, you'd presume that wisdom and perspective would be provided by sage old timers. (I think Noonan is hyperbolic and prosaic, and is super attractive to agree with Kemper above, never noticed before). But when they aren't wise and don't place matters into perspective is when you wonder why they're on the set. Brokaw made no sense, and I don't really remember what he said. Something about having guns, but his point wasn't clear. Noonan suggested that sometimes it's best to unplug. Turn it off. She's right. She also spoke for about 3 minutes about god knows what.

They should've lectured in Puerto Rico. Because emails and Wall St.

They have covered Twitter and Facebook's awesome, jaw-dropping irresponsibility 3x in the first hour. Three times!! Grateful not to have Mika involved in that discussion, though. Donnie's wired on coffee (I presume it's coffee). Something I've always wondered, is why replace Nicole with Elise before 7am?? Nicole got to the studio at... what? 5am? Left her hotel or corporate apartment at probably 4am? To do 3 segments until 6:40am and then does what? Goes back to bed? Reads the paper until her show at 4pm? I'm embarrassed to say I'm shocked at the length and breadth of the free flight scandal. I can't believe that Trump and his cronies are really THAT cynical, that they acknowledge they got one over on every American hick and are high fiving each other as they steal tax money and make themselves richer. I thought it'd happen, but just in a more nuanced way. I think Willie is wrong, though, I think your standard moronic American will give all these people a pass. Imagine if Obama had done this? Shit, imagine if Hillary had done this while Secretary of State? Heh. The Kochs and the Mercers would have had to fund a whole new cottage industry of media and investigative propaganda firms to investigate her and bring her to trial in Congress.

Writes a book, is evil. Because OFC. Do you even realize she had the fucking gall to WALK after she lost the election? Bitch.

Are Joe and Mika drunk this morning? This show is really weird and awkward.

The news this morning is depressing. While Joe's commentary is spot on, it will achieve nothing. His entire audience already agrees with him. - Trump openly trying to divide Americans regarding the NFL - The implicit decision among the media, government, and legal minds that emails as weaponry may only be used effectively against Hillary - Puerto Rico facing real catastrophe - North Korea - Health care - Russian collusion with Trump - Russian trolls manipulating Facebook - Trump's constant deflection, lies and Tweets Each of these things are buoyed by easily visible cynicism and lies. The truth and what's best for all is wholly irrelevant. So while Joe's speech was appropriate, it's far too little too late. He should have ranted with such energy prior to the election. We are watching in slow motion as D students agree to flush the great American way of life down the toilet.

ha. made me laugh. What does "Bernie Bernie" mean? I missed the show. Well, W&C, I wouldn't say I missed it. ba dum dum I wonder if this stupid "Know Your Worth" tour will have an honest discussion about how women did not elect Hillary Clinton and instead opted for the dotard. Even if those women thought Hillary shouldn't have used her husband's email server, like John Kerry WAS DOING DURING THE PERIOD OF THE FBI'S INVESTIGATION OF HILLARY, and also like most other heads of government bureaus did because of no cogent workable policy, even if they thought that was... somehow meaningful in some regard, why did they not elect a woman? This fucking panel is about the empowerment of women, and what women can do to lift themselves and others. Electing Trump may have been a short term boost to some executive's professional track and a boost to their purse, but it knocked their daughters down a rung. A female POTUS is not a thing. It's not normal. 42% of all women and 62% of uneducated women voted for the dotard. An open misogynist who views women as objects. But emails, right?

What a mess of a show this morning. Smug Mika talks over everyone and thinks her little asides are cute. Ugh. When she's full of herself she's difficult to like. Those nasty men and their healthcare scheme made me furious. It's lying yoga. It's all about contorting and lying and avoiding. Shitkram Yoga. They are shameless and vile. "Obamacare failed." Oh yeah, genius? Why is that? Because you blocked the best parts of it from succeeding, hmm? Maybe? Makes my blood fucking boil. FWIW, Stephanie Ruhl suddenly cracking and bawling as she described the school in Mexico City with the little girl trapped broke my heart.

Today's show was fucking weirder than usual. Joe apparently decided at some point yesterday to side against standard perceptions and claimed that Trump's speech was reasonable and normal. Bullshit like that normalizes Trump's moronic demeanor and total lack of thought. He came to that conclusion because Twitter's reaction made him mad, and, he said, if you read the speech and take out the hyperbole, what Trump essentially said is ordinary pro-American stuff. See, what he glosses over is that you have to ignore much of what Trump actually said with his real words, and infer context between the lines and broadly compare that context structure to previous speeches. Cuz... Twitter can't be right. Ignatius agreed, and Barnicle interrupted both Andrea Mitchell and Mika to tell them they were wrong about the context of Trump's speech, that any negative response is an over-reaction. And the final segment was some evil douche Republican explaining something about how health care policy must remain in the hands of states and individuals and when asked if pre-existing conditions would be covered he got angry and ranted a word salad of how Obama is bad. I've never understood what options the individual loses if health care is more available? It only means the option to not participate, right? Like the car insurance individual option?

Their old man ranting that a huge percentage of American's get news from Facebook is embarrassing. I follow each of those nitwits on Facebook and consume my news from their employers via Facebook. Oh Gosh! Does that suddenly delegitimize The Washington Post or the New York Times? No, of course not. That people consume news from Facebook is a small matter. The issue is illegitimate news sources that are actually, truly propaganda. Facebook is broken and poisonous because people are stupid and are taken advantage of. And, read the comments beneath legitimate news articles. There are always troll bot accounts beneath attempting to incite, divide, and deny. It's a poisonous blend. The issue isn't that news is consumed via Facebook, the issue is that Facebook can't control (or won't control) bad actors. The bar for participation on FB should be very high, and real live humans should have to verify their accounts continually. News outfits should have to be vetted through a strenuous process so that they are approved as real and not a fake, conservative-themed site supported by Rubles and propaganda.

Holy crap that storm did a number on us here in Charleston. Nowhere near the eye and the flooding is unprecedented.

The way Joe, and Ignatius to a lesser extent, tried to spin the narrative that Obama failed vs ISIS and Trump turned it around was particularly nauseating. First, Joe blames Obama for ISIS and couches that claim in the douchiest language, "Well, we all know and it's well documented that Obama's failures led to the growth of ISIS," like it's a well established fact. Joe was against staying in Iraq, against intervening with ISIS, and against intervening in Syria, until he changed his mind and was for it when he looked backwards. Douche. And Ignatius had all this praise for Trump because after Trump fucked up the failed assault in Yemen, Trump has just disengaged and leaves the military to their own devices cuz the men intimidate him. Ignatius says that commanders like not having to explain their decisions, and in that way Trump is a great leader. Ignatius said that the military was tired of having their decisions reviewed their commanders. And Joe of course confirms this because LBJ liked to bomb fixed targets during Vietnam instead of letting the US Army just do whatever the soldiers want to.. because that is precisely what Obama did, or something. What a douche.

I didn't mind that, but only if she could have spoken about it expertly instead of the facile, top-level way she did. She could have woven that interest, that would serve us all well, into the show and bubbled-up the topic of healthy shopping, eating, gardening, business practices, etc... by bringing on authors and thought-leaders when appropriate.

So if Mika is above pop culture and doesn't watch TV, because TV is beneath her, then... what does she do? Where do her interests lie? If she's a big reader of anything in particular it's not apparent from the show (even though she's a 3x author). If she is a policy wonk or insider, it's not apparent from the show. If she's an athlete or cook or into yoga or a health nut, it's not apparent from the show. If she's into fashion or mommy issues or education or business or gardening or anything, it's not apparent from the show. I think she likes drinking to kill time and enjoying her pets. Two of my favorite things. But at the same time, I have ton of other interests I'd use my TV show to speak on to relay my viewpoint. And liking drinking and pets doesn't make me above pop culture. I think more than mechanical, she's simple. Not necessarily meant as a pejorative. She sees a baby. Her thought bubble is, "There is a baby. I like babies." And she says, "I see your baby. I like babies." And that's that.

They are Poles, so I totally get the vodka neat w/out a mixer. The boxes could be Polish treats of some variety, or perhaps the cases for the vodka? But no ice? Is vodka traditionally drunk warm? Anyhow, I'd hang out with those folks day drinking vodka and listening to stories. A way to better understand Trump and his decisions is to read a book I bought because I saw the author on MJ and heard him on NPR. Devil’s Bargain, by Joshua Green. It explains it all. Not an especially well written book. But you'll read it thoroughly until Trump becomes President in the narrative and at that point you'll be too nauseated to continue reading.

That is a lot of vodka at the table. The venue is absolutely beautiful, but the suits and ties, and water bottles, and pre-purchased packaged sandwiches seems incongruous. It's like this whole thing was thrown together as an afterthought. I guess it's a rental and not a family home. There are no pitchers on the table. No ice. No mixers for the vodka. No bowls of lemons. No platters of food. It's more like a corporate lunch than a family having fun... which is not to say that it wasn't fun.